National First Ladies' Library
Writing (and Rewriting!) History
Middle schoolers differentiate between fiction and non-fiction, discuss historical fiction, which combines both genres, choose historical novel from list and read independently, and write original short stories that combine elements of...
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The Legend of Sleepy Hollow
Students discuss and define folklore, locate town of Sleepy Hollow, NY, on map, calculate distance from Sleepy Hollow to their school, if applicable, review vocabulary list from The Legend of Sleepy Hollow, read story aloud, and write...
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Deception and Advertising: When is it Misleading and when is it Puffery?
Eighth graders explore advertisements and deception in advertising. In this marketing and advertising lesson, 8th graders write cause and effect paragraphs describing products, promises made, deceptions caused, and the immediate...
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Sim's Cities
Students investigate city management and government by creating a fictional city in groups. In this civics instructional activity, students create rules and a mascot for their fictitious city which they create from poster board...
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Putting a Spin on Current Events
Students discover propaganda. In this Greek mythology lesson, students discuss meanings of ancient art work with their class. Students investigate the dishonesty behind propaganda.
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Contemporizing Myths
Students examine Rembrandt's "Abduction of Europa." In this Greek art lesson, students discuss how the artist has taken an ancient Greek myth and contemporized it. Students read origin myths and choose a scene to illustrate in a...
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Child Literacy
Students read information on the importance of literacy and complete a worksheet. In this community service lesson, students evaluate children's literature and practice reading fluency. Students spend two hours per week reading to...
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Face to Face with the Great Depression
Students develop an analytical perspective of how historians record, preserve, and interpret data. In this US history lesson students read and interpret personal accounts of the Great Depression. They discuss how interpretation affects...
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Looking at Life through the Creation of Personal Metaphors
Learners focus on the creation of personal metaphors, which are first illustrated in pictures and caricatures and then extended to descriptive/analytical paragraphs. They teach the lesson to others using their own personal metaphors as...
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Andy Warhol/Digital Self-Portraits
Students research the life and art of Andy Warhol and create a digitally manipulated photographic self-portrait. Students conclude the assignment by writing a poem to describe the point-of-view taken in their digital photo.
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Education, Design & Empowerment: Part One
Students consider the connection between poverty and education. In this language arts and social studies lesson plan, students research primary and secondary sources in order to explore the relationship between education and poverty.
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Animals in Motion
Young scholars draw and sculpt animals in motion. In this artistic drawing lesson, students are introduced to art depicting arrested motion, then observe and sketch animals in motion and use the drawing as they create a balanced sculpture.
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The Physiological and Psychological Development of the Adolescent
Students examine the life of a teenager from their own perspective and an adult's. In groups, they focus on the biological changes and how they are different in a girl and a boy. Individually, they write a paper about these changes and...
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Silhouettes and Interiors
Middle schoolers create a multimedia piece that integrates drawing and collage. Students learn about metacognition and the discovering of self through genres of art and literature by using these steps: inspiration, brainstorm,...
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The Great Spoon Challenge: Form and Function
Students organize objects in terms of form and function. In this architecture lesson, students are introduced to the ideas of form and function by playing a game in which they organize spoons in different ways. Extension activities are...
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All the Colors We Are
Students make a hand print mural. In this painting lesson, students read the book All the Colors We Are and describe the color of their skin. Students learn how to mix paints to create various skin tones, create their personal...
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Pieces of Peace
Students study the artwork of Keith Haring and create an original artwork in his style. In this symbiotics lesson, watch a video about the artwork of Keith Haring and create an artwork to deliver a message.
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Letters from the Heart: Designing for the Other 90% of the World's Population
Students explore varied aspects of the design process and learn that most products are designed to reach the worlds wealthiest 10%. In this lesson, students work in groups to learn ways in which designers are attempting to rectify this...
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Put the NEW in NEWBERY
Students read Newbery award books. For this Newbery book lesson, students look online to find all the books that have received this award and look through online reviews to find one they would like to read. After finishing the book, they...
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What is Framing?
Students practice framing issues. For this writing skills lesson, students participate in a classroom activity that requires them to look at specific topical issues by framing them. Students then create collages on current issues and...
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Gesture Drawing
Students investigate the use of proportion using gesture drawing as the subject matter. They create a painting using the elements of art and principles of design.
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Monoprint
Students review Gerald Ferstman's work and discuss abstract art. They design and create monoprints on Mylar. They reflect on their work and write about the experience of creating the piece.
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Familial Relationships in Great Expectations: The Search for Identity
Students read the novel "Great Expectations" by Charles Dickens. In groups, they use the text to identify and describe family relationships in the book. Using this information, they compare and contrast how these relationships are...
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Ancient Greece: Athens as a City State
Sixth graders find Greece on the map and recognize how the geography of Greece was important in its development. In this ancient Greece lesson, 6th graders research Greece and compare to the civilization of ancient Egypt. Students answer...